Sunday, September 29, 2013

This recipe may not sound like much but both Don and I were surprised at how these simple flavors married so perfectly in this ultimate comfort casserole dish. We will be working this into the regular routine as a great source for using up swish chard and an excellent vegetarian option too.

Preheat the oven to 375. Saute onions, garlic, chard stems and cumin in some olive oil. Add chard leaves at the end until they start to sweat. Stir together beans, yogurt, and onion mixture. Spread in the bottom of a large baking dish. For next layer spread bruschetta over bean mixture. For final layer spread cornbread mixture on top. Bake uncovered about 30 to 40 minutes until cornbread is fully cooked and golden brown. Serve immediately.

Monday, September 23, 2013

Thanks to a well timed cloud break, Caitlyn and I got to go for a little walk when she got home from daycare tonight. In about 30 minutes we managed to make it as far as two neighbor's houses and back. Along the way we explored numerous puddles, storm drains, a deer crossing the road, several choice gravel rocks, and shouted at the top of Caitlyn's lungs "HI!" to every neighbor we encountered. Then it was back to indoor playing while Mama got dinner ready, inspired once again by my Trader Joe's cookbook but very much adapted with my own twist since several of the original ingredients are no longer carried by the store. This was a recipe that Don picked out and it turned out really great. It was especially fun because it's not something I would have originally gravitated to but so glad I did. We would happily make this again.

Bring first five ingredients to a boil in a large pot. Add noodles and cook about 5 minutes. Add Shitake Mushrooms and cook about two minutes. Add shrimp and stir fry veggies and cook another 4 minutes. Serve with Siracha and Soy Sauce on the side for additional flavoring options.

Sunday, September 22, 2013

Despite a shaky weather forecast for the weekend, we got away with a dry Saturday with lots of sunbreaks. We made the most of the day getting out for a walk around Lake Padden with the Kelty Backpack and the dogs. Then we even got to enjoy a BBQ Dinner and eat out by the chimenea with a small fire. I love that we have an outdoorsy girl who wants to be outside all the time and is entertained by rocks, dirt and sticks and not afraid to get dirty or wet. She would have fit right in with Mommy and Aunt Kristy and Aunt Terri when we were kids practicing our Heman acrobatic moves in the backyard or hunting banana slugs at the archery range. Dinner was one of my most favorite simple grill meals - Peppercorn Garlic Marinated Pork Tenderloin from Trader Joes served with Corn on the Cob. If you have not tried this pork tenderloin at Trader Joes, I can't recommend it enough!

While the actual results of this meal left us a little wanting, it was a good experiment and did give us ideas for a future improved version. I had intended to use a bottle of yellow curry in this dish, however, sadly they were out when I went to the store, so I decided to try the premarinated yellow curry chicken from the refrigerated section. I definitely discovered I did not like it as much as the bottled kind. What the meal needed was a touch more of sweetness. Ingredients below are not the actual cooked version but suggested improved recipe to try next time.

Saute chicken, onions and carrots in a large sauce pan until cooked thorough. Whisk together curry sauce and chutney. Add to chicken mixture with peas and brown rice and continue to cook until heated through.

We rocked the cooking/grocery plan this week thanks to a huge amount of inspiration from my Trader Joe's cookbook. Not once did we eat out and I packed a lunch of delicious leftovers every day for Don. And I was able to carve out time on my own lunchbreak to squeeze in a workout. Successful week all the way around.

This was a super simple recipe from the cookbook using prepared bruschetta in place of pasta sauce. So simple and easy. We served this with a spinach salad with warmed goat cheese slices and balsamic vinaigrette.

Saturday, September 14, 2013

This recipe was adapted from the Bon Appetit Cookbook I checked out from the Library this week. Don and I both really loved it and happy to find another good use for Chard. I enjoyed my garnish of sour cream and chopped radishes. Don had some really inspiring ideas about how to repurpose these leftovers. The recipe is so versatile. Tomorrow for breakfast we may try baking an egg in some. It would also make great burrito filing. For a little heat, try adding chorizo. We will definitely be seeing this recipe in our kitchen again.

Heat some olive oil over medium high heat in a dutch oven. Add onions, chard stems, and garlic. Saute until translucent. Add squash and yams. Saute a few minutes until they start to sweat and soften a bit. Add spices. Stir to incorporate. Add broth & beans. Bring to a boil. Lower heat and simmer until squash and potatoes have softened to desired consistency (about 10 to 15 minutes). Stir in chard. Remove from heat. Serve topped with a dollop of sour cream and sprinkled with chopped radishes.

Here is an easy peasy chicken recipe adapted from the Trader Joes Cookbook I checked out from the library. In a medium sized baking dish place two boneless skinless chicken breasts. Squeeze the juice of one lemon over the top. Sprinkle with fresh ground black pepper. Scatter with halved baby zucchini. Top with Trader Joe's prepared Bruschetta from the refrigerated section. Bake in the oven at 350 degrees until chicken is done. So easy and turned out nice and tasty!

We got a lovely assortment of fresh bell peppers in our delivery box this week ranging from a pale white all the way to dark purple. So of course I thought of Fajita night. It also was a great way to get double duty out of the Nacho Ingredients we purchased for the Game Day appetizers.

The Camera has been misplaced so you don't get pictures this week but I promise we've been cooking! We love the marinated Korean Beef Short Ribs from Trader Joes. They're so flavorful and versatile. They are perfect in stir fry meals or on their own. Temps sky rocketed this week so on a beautiful summer like Thursday evening Don cooked up the meat on our gas Webber and used the side gas burner to stir fry the veggies in a pan. We even managed to use up some leftover grilled onions and peppers from Fajita Night. Bonus! We also got to eat outside on the awesome new picnic table that Don built.

I have received lots of inspiration by a Trader Joes Cookbook I checked out from the library last week. Made this Nacho bake when we went over to Katie and Zach's new house last Sunday to watch Football. It was so fun!

Sunday, September 8, 2013

Not every recipe is a home run and I wouldn't put this one up there at the top, but at this stage in my life if it's edible and nutritious then at least it's a quick and easy option to reheat. Also I'm happy that we saved money buy using up pantry ingredients that otherwise could have gone to waste and also avoiding another meal of eating out.

Still there are elements to this recipe that sparked some good ideas for the future and I learned something from this process. First of all, one whole Jar of roasted red peppers was a bit much, and I'm realizing that I'm just not that much of a fan of commercially preserved roasted peppers. It's worth it to do the extra step of roasting or sauteeing your own. I'm envisioning now a leftover fajita omelet with leftover grilled onions and peppers and fajita steak with possibly some cojita cheese or feta instead of goat cheese. I could also easily add whatever greens we have on hand at the time too (spinach, kale, chard, arugula all sound nice). Another project for another day.

Talk about a cheap and easy meal. The fresh carrots from our CSA delivery are 10 times more flavor than your average grocery store variety. All we did was dress these grated carrots up with a little bit of lemon juice, olive oil, salt, pepper, and garlic and it was as sweet and fresh as any good fruit salad. Trader Joes Salmon Burgers are also a staple in our house. Quick and healthy and Caitlyn ate almost a whole patty to herself last night! Very pleased with this for a quick weeknight meal and looking forward to the leftover carrot salod today. Also, for a fun twist, try adding the carrot salad directly to your burger for a nice crunchy condiment.

Cut the lamb tips down into bite size pieces. In a dutch oven, saute lamb, onion, carrots, and potatoes until meet is browhed and vegetables are softened. Add broth, tomatoes, and green beans. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer until green beans are desired consistency. The marinated lamb tips imparted enough flavor that we did not need to add any other seasoning to the recipe.

Wednesday, September 4, 2013

Tuesday, September 3, 2013

Finally used my exercise bike today for the first time. I don't remember exactly how much we paid for it but I think it was somewhere in the vicinity of $450. I rode 6.13 miles. So far, that's about $73.41 a mile.

I was getting a little tired of our regular weekend pancakes but wanted to do some breakfast baking. I remembered we had some frozen raspberries in the freezer and immediately thought of this cooking light breakfast treat: Baked Sunday Pancake with Raspberry Sauce.